Philosophy 020E:  Introduction to Philosophy
Instructor:  Shannon Dea

Mid-year test and final exam dates will occur during the scheduled examination periods.  Assignment deadlines to be announced. Final lecture subjects and readings are subject to tuning, with notice.

Texts:  James A. Gould and Robert J. Mulvaney, Eds.  Classic Philosophical Questions. 11^th ed.  Upper Saddle River, NJ:  Pearson (Prentice-Hall), 2004, and additional texts to be posted online by the instructor. 

Fall Schedule

Question | Week | Topic | Date | Readings
| Week 0 | Introductory | Sept. 8 |

Question 1:

Does God exist?

Week 1

The ontological argument

Sept. 13

Anselm: 235-41

| | The cosmological arguments (1) | Sept. 15 | Aquinas:  242-47
| Week 2 | The cosmological arguments (2) | Sept. 20 | Paley:  248-53
| | Pascal’s wager | Sept. 22 | Pascal: 254-59
| Week 3 | The problem of evil | Sept. 27 | Hume: 266-73
| | Does God exist?  Conclusion. | Sept. 29 |

Question 2:  

What is knowledge and what can be known?

Week 4

The definition of knowledge.

Oct. 4

Plato:  65-73

| | How is knowledge acquired? (1) | Oct. 6 | Descartes:  74-86
| Week 5 | How is knowledge acquired? (2) | Oct. 11 | Locke:  87-100
| | How is knowledge acquired? (3) | Oct. 13 | Kant:  101-110
| Week 6 | How is truth established? (1) | Oct. 18 | Russell:  111-117
| | How is truth established? (2) | Oct. 20 | Bradley:  118-24
| Week 7 | How is truth established? (3) | Oct. 25 | James:  125-32
| | Can we know the nature of causal relations? | Oct. 27 | Hume:  133-39
| Week 8 | Are there grounds for inductive conclusions? | Nov. 1 | Hume:  140-50
| | What can be known?  Conclusion. | Nov. 3 |

Question 3:

Of what does reality consist?

Week 9

Is reality composed of mind and matter?

Nov. 8

Descartes:  151-57

| | Is reality composed of matter alone? | Nov. 10 | Taylor:  158-71
| Week 10 | Is reality composed of mind alone? | Nov. 15 | Berkeley:  172-84
| | Universals or particulars? (1) | Nov. 17 | Plato:  202-211
| Week 11 | Universals or particulars? (2) | Nov. 22 | Hume:  212-17
| | What is the self? (1) | Nov. 24 | Locke:  218-227
| Week 12 | What is the self? (2) | Nov. 29 | Hume:  228-234
| | Of what does reality consist?  Conclusion | Dec. 1 |
| Week 13 | Review for mid-year test | Dec. 6 |

Winter Schedule

Question | Week | Topic | Date | Readings

Question 4:

In what does moral obligation consist?

Week 14

Preliminary question:  Do we have free will? (1)

Jan. 10

Holbach:  283-92

| | Do we have free will? (2) | Jan. 12 | James:  293-302
| Week 15 | Are ethics relative? (1) | Jan. 17 | Benedict:  303-310
| | Are ethics relative? (2) | Jan. 19 | Stace:  311-22
| Week 16 | Is altruism possible?  (1) | Jan. 24 | Plato:  323-26
| | Is altruism possible? (2) | Jan. 26 | Rachels:  327-37
| Week 17 | Virtue ethics | Jan. 31 | Aristotle:  338-47
| | Utilitarianism | Feb. 2 | Bentham:  348-57
| Week 18 | Deontology | Feb. 7 | Kant:  358-71
| | The will to power | Feb. 9 | Nietzsche:  372-79
| Week 19 | In what does moral obligation consist?  Conclusion | Feb.14 |

Question 5:

What is the best society?

Monarchy

Feb. 16

Hobbes:  504-511

| Week 20 | Liberal democracy | Feb. 21 | Locke:  512-19
| | Communism | Feb. 23 | Marx, Engels:  520-35

Conference week
Feb. 27 - March 3

| Week 21 | Social democracy | March 7 | Dewey:  536-43
| | What is the best society?  Conclusion | March 9 |

Question 6:  

What is the character of contemporary philosophy?

Week 22

Analytic philosophy (1)

March 14

Feigl:  51-64

| | Analytic philosophy (2) | March 16 | TBA
| Week 23 | Continental philosophy (1) | March 21 | Heidegger:  185-201
| | Continental philosophy (2) | March 23 | Camus:  600-611
| Week 24 | Does philosophy include women? (1) | March 28 | Nussbaum:  483-503
| | Does philosophy include women? (2) | March 30 | Tong:  390-407
| Week 25 | Does philosophy include non-Europeans? | April 4 | Appiah:  To be posted online.
| | What is the character of contemporary philosophy?  Conclusion | April 6 |
| Week 26 | Review for final exam | April 11 |